turned to look at me.
My nipples hardened as his gaze started at my eyes and wandered down to my breasts, which were a little pouty due to the fitted blouse. Sheldon had been right about that—sexy clothes made one feel hot.
“This is nice. A little revealing,” he said, stroking the fabric of my blouse.
I tilted my head with a questioning frown. “You don’t like clothes that show a little flesh? I just thought, given your…”
He brushed my nipples with the back of his hand. “My addiction to your body, you mean?” He undid two buttons of my shirt to the edge of my lacy red bra.
“I like red on you. I’d love to feel you in silk.” His voice had a seductive rasp that traveled down to my swollen pussy. He reached into his inner pocket and brought out an envelope. “Here.”
“What’s this?” I asked, my voice tightening as his finger continued to flutter over my cleavage, puckering the skin and making my nipples ache for his lips.
“Open it. It’s a credit card.” He adjusted his position and I caught a glimpse of his bulge, sending my hormones into a frenzy.
I shook my head in disbelief.
“There’s no limit. Spend it as you want.”
“Huh?”
He leaned in and kissed me. “I want you to have beautiful things. I want you to be happy.”
“I am happy.” I looked down at the card. “This is a little too much, especially after you deposited all that money into my account for my paintings.”
He whispered into my ear, “Just let me fuck you. That’s all I ask.”
I bit into my cheek. “Like a prostitute?”
“A prostitute would never stay at my home, Penelope. Or spend so much time with me or…”
“Or what?”
He squeezed my hand and looked into my eyes. “Let’s not do this. Suffice it to say, that wasn’t my intention. That’s not how I see you.”
We arrived at his two-story home, which overlooked a park, in a tree-lined street with expensive cars. On the pavement, there was not a scrap of rubbish in sight.
The credit card remained in my hand. Blake had thrown me a curve ball and he knew it. Responding to my sudden distance, Blake, who seemed to take his cues from me, reverted to introspection.
Patrick opened my door, and I slid out.
Blake opened his arm. “Come.”
I moved close, and he placed his arm around my waist gently.
Blake removed his jacket and placed it on a coatrack at the entrance.
“Can I get you a G&T?” he asked, with the formality of a stranger.
“Um… sure.”
He pointed at the sofa. “Please make yourself comfortable.”
I sat and placed the credit card on the table. When he came back with our drinks in hand, his eyes landed on the card responsible for placing a wedge between us.
Passing me the glass, he said, “Would it make you happier if I took that card away?”
Taking a deep breath, I crossed my legs. “I would prefer not to have it. While I appreciate your generosity, it makes this feel like a professional arrangement.”
He sat down close and turned to look at me. “That’s not what this is to me. I’m swimming in uncharted waters. I’ve never had a woman give that part of herself to me. It has affected me in a way that words cannot describe.”
I set my glass down and looked for signs of something other than intensity. He brushed his fleshy lips with his tongue, which was like a magnet for mine.
Our lips met. The kiss bordered on being violent. Such was our mutual attraction and passionate desire.
21
* * *
BLAKE
THE THINGS I WANTED TO do to her required a bed and not the sofa. As I directed her to the bedroom, the promise of feeling her again made my blood run hot.
Penelope’s tetchy response to the credit card surprised me, even if, on a deeper level, it made me respect her. Perhaps in many ways I was buying her.
For someone who needed control in his life, I was terrified by the fact that Penelope had the upper hand. I’d become unrecognizable, emotionally speaking.
“Slowly,” I said, watching her unbutton her blouse. I took a deep breath. My natural voyeur’s instinct enjoyed every teasing moment, no matter how much my dick ached to be inside of her.
The skimpy red bra just covered her nipples, and my breathing just got heavier after she let her skirt slink to the ground. She remained before me in a tiny thong. I wanted her to turn and bend over. That would come later,